Vice President, Head of Machine Learning Research

The successful candidate will recruit and establish a team of machine learning researchers, data engineers and applied scientists to partner with computational scientists across WRDM and Pfizer Digital to deliver state-of ML solutions to address the most pressing needs in drug discovery and development.He or she will ensure that Pfizer’s internal capabilities are at the State-of-the Art and are respected externally by experts in the field.

Role Responsibilities

• Define strategy forharnessingcutting edge AImethodsto enhance our drug discovery efforts, sustain our industry leading R&D productivity, and deliver breakthrough medicines to the patients most in need
• Chart a path to realize our aspirations to become the most respected machine learning research group within the bio-pharmaceutical R&D industry
• Partner with AI and ML expert practitioners to ensure that solutions are successfully applied to generate powerful insights indispensable to WRDM projects, e.g. those related to disease pathophysiology and the optimization of therapeutic agents.
• Design and operationalize a framework for prioritizing and executing project proposals with internal stakeholders in a transparent and principled manner
• Leverage at scale Pfizer’s proprietary data and computational infrastructure in conjunction with commercial tools and external data sources to address the most impactful drug discovery challenges
• Prototype, train, and validate novel machine learning algorithms in partnership with applied ML scientists across WRDM, across target identification, drug and product design, and precision medicine efforts
• Productionize and deploy optimized ML models at scale to WRDM scientists in partnership with Pfizer Digital.Ensure all data management and model training processes are robust and industrial strength, using modern software development practices and contemporary computational environments.
• Recruit, develop, and manage a team of ~20 PhD-level Machine Learning scientists and data engineers
• Enhance Pfizer’s ML presence within the biopharmaceutical industry and within the ML field generally.Raise the reputation of our ML research by presenting at external conferences and societies, producing high-impact publications, and contributing to public code repositories.
• Ensure Pfizer methodology remains current with respect to state of the art; proactively identify, assess, and internalize promising methods and tools from external vendors and the public domain.
• Influence the development of novel algorithms and advances in AI/ML methodology through external partnership.Establish and manage external collaborations with life science AI companies and leading academic research groups

Qualifications

• PhD degree in life sciences, computer science, applied mathematics, machine learning, physics, engineering or related discipline with 10+ yrs relevant experience
• Demonstrated ability to partner and influence across complex matrixed organizations and manage delivery to diverse stakeholder groups
• Expertise with tools and libraries for ML including PyTorch, TensorFlow, and JAX
• Experience working with large data sets, preferably in drug discovery setting
• Experience with Unix/Linux, HPC, and cloud computing environments
• Expertise in one or more programming languages, including Python, Java, Scala, Go, or C++
• Demonstrated track record of applied machine learning and data science through publications in top tier peer-reviewed journals and/or presentations in national or international conferences
• Well developed experience in talent acquisition and developing the careers of professional staff
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills

Candidate demonstrates a breadth of diverse leadership experiences and capabilities including: the ability to influence and collaborate with peers, develop and coach others, oversee and guide the work of other colleagues to achieve meaningful outcomes and create business impact.

Additional Posting Information

• Eligible for Employee Referral Bonus
• Relocation support available
• #LI-PFE

Pfizer requires all U.S. new hires to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 prior to the first date of employment. As required by applicable law, Pfizer will consider requests for Reasonable Accommodations.

Sunshine Act

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EEO & Employment Eligibility

Pfizer is committed to equal opportunity in the terms and conditions of employment for all employees and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, disability or veteran status. Pfizer also complies with all applicable national, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act and IRCA. Pfizer is an E-Verify employer.